The present invention relates to the construction of multi-level concrete building structures and, more particularly, to apparatus for such construction in which a deck support formwork assembly for a structural concrete slab is lowered into position and supported from the level above for the making of the next lower structural concrete slab.
The vertical frame elements of concrete building structures generally are made up of columns (which may be concrete, structural steel, or a composite of both concrete and steel) connected together via slabs of reinforced concrete. These slabs are the principle horizontal frame members for the building. It is common to incorporate rebar and/or post tensioned beams in such structural concrete slabs. These slabs act not only as integral parts of building frames of multi-level concrete buildings, but also to define floors/ceiling soffits.
The most common way of constructing level dividing slabs in concrete multi-story buildings, is to construct formwork at a desired elevation for the level, install rebar and/or post tensioning tendons, and then fill the formwork with concrete which is allowed to cure. It is typical to build the slabs sequentially in a "bottom-up" approach (one above the other). When the slab for a floor level is made, the formwork to support the next slab above is installed on top of such concrete slab. If garage levels or other floors are built below grade level, it is common to excavate to the lowest elevation of slab and then proceed with the "bottom-up" slab making approach described above.